A future without hope
by EnigmaUniverse
Summary: Zeref has finally initiated his attack and Fairy Tail has fallen. Lucy and Zeref share a brief conversation before the real battle begins. ONESHOT


**Just a one-shot.**

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_**Disclaimer:**__** I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.**_

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Their first and final encounter was not a pleasant one. It was the day when Zeref attacked Magnolia Town with his book of demons, prepared to demolish the entire population. To Fairy Tail's utter horror, he had succeeded. Even with her beloved guild's monstrous power, they were only human. Despite knowing they were walking right into their own grave, Fairy Tail fought. Lucy fought. But it just wasn't enough. The outcome was rather terrifying.

Lucy Heartfilia held her dying teammate within her arms when he appeared before her. The blonde could practically _feel_ the darkness radiating from his lean figure. He stalked up to her with nothing but pure evil intentions, eying the bloodied and crumpled boy with complete malice, hatred. If not for the circumstances, she would have wondered why he hated Natsu so.

"Natsu."

His soft voice rang through her head with deceptive innocence, but there was nothing innocent about this man. In fact, it should be a sin to call him such. With all the murders he has committed, the murders of her _friend's_, Zeref would never come close to_ innocent. _Natsu was innocent. A lighthearted, perverted, and oblivious soul. Her pink haired friend would never kill for dark and evil reasons. He would instead hunt them down and make them pay the ultimate price while quoting '_I'm fired up!'_ like always. _That_ was Lucy's definition of innocent, in which Zeref came nowhere near.

"I thought you were going to kill me to avenge your fallen teammates. Where is this determination that you showed me earlier? Have you already had enough?"

The demon of a man sounded almost disappointed, as if it were just a mere pity that Natsu couldn't kill him. This successfully made something inside her boil with absolute rage. How _dare_ he talk so calmly when her partner was dying in her arms, at that _exact moment_?! He had no _right_ to openly mock Natsu while he was down! If Zeref wanted him, he would have to get through her first!

Depositing Natsu's limp form gently on to the cracked rubble beneath them, Lucy swallowed her fear and tilted her head up to meet with apathetic crimson. She tried to resist the urge to shiver when she stood up weakly and realized that their gazes had yet to break off. A part of her congratulated herself for that, Lucy of Fairy Tail was not weak.

"Zeref." She acknowledged him with a hateful scowl, still shaking with anger.

"Heartfilia.." he intoned quietly. "You are still amongst the living?"

_That_ felt like a blow to her pride. She tossed away her fear and glowered darkly, dried tears staining her cheeks.

"Is this not enough, _Zeref?_" she spat, not caring the consequences. "You killed everyone, why do you want Natsu as well?"

For a moment, something seemed to flicker in his eyes, but it was gone before she could decipher what it was. ".. He didn't save me from the darkness. If Natsu Dragneel had killed me that day on Tenrou island, this wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have to hate humanity for pushing me away."

Lucy couldn't help it, she blinked in confusion before gritting her teeth and seething, "So you hate _us_ for the choices _you_ made? Don't you ever wonder _why_ humans push you away? Look what you've done!"

The blonde extended her arm to motion towards the smoke filled town littered with bloodied corpses and bloodshed. Buildings were long gone, the first to go and cave in when the first attack hit. The only thing remaining was the battered concrete that held up the once radiant town. Even her guild was gone. Her one true home.

"He had plenty of time to confront me before.." Zeref spoke, more to himself than her. "_He_ was the cause of this massacre." Ruby eyes fell back down to the barely breathing teen.

Lucy scrunched her eyebrows together and stood in front of her friend's body, hand hovering over her keys. She knew her magic power was exhausted and that she would stand no chance in a fight against Zeref, but she still had to try. It was what all fairies did.

"Well, look," she growled, "I don't give a crap about any of your lame excuses. In my eyes, nothing you say will _ever_ justify what you have done. So that means there is only one other way to settle this."

Zeref regarded her warily. "Are you sure this is your final decision, Lucy? Do you really think it is possible to defeat me alone when even Natsu failed?"

A small, wistful smile tugged at her lips then. "I am not alone.." she murmured, grabbing Loke's key and yanking it off of the hook and into the air abruptly, "I can hear them! Everyone's voices! They support me! Open the Gate of the Lion! _Leo!_"

A flash of bright light and the last battle began.


End file.
